Sex and the City 2 and Motherhood

Yesterday was the first time I’ve been without my kids and with a girlfriend [Did I mention without kids?] since…well, since I had my kids.

Alana and I went to see Sex and the City 2 together on Saturday and left the kids with Tucker and Alana’s husband, Chris. Though I was a bit skeptical at exactly what state our kids and our apartment would be in once Alana and I returned from the movie, we left them with the guys.

I figured it would be good for all involved.

Before I even talk about the movie, let’s talk about this movie theater. I’ve been to four different movie theaters in my entire life.

Two were in the town where I grew up, one was where I had the hellish experience when Alana and I went to see New Moon – OK. So I guess Saturday was the second time out with Alana but it wasn’t just her and me and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun – and the fourth was the theater we went to on Saturday.

Those first three were the normal fare you’d expect in small southern towns – unremarkable seats, dirty floors, sound issues, wood paneling. You know the places I’m talking about.

This theater we went to on Saturday had this super special “VIP” section – it had a special name I can’t remember – where you could privately watch a movie and eat dinner. They have a bar up there and apparently the ushers will bring you drinks while you watch the show. How freakin’ cool is that?

For the regular folks, while you’re waiting for your movie to start, you can go hangout at the bar and/or order some sushi. Yes, please.

Also, you pick your seats. On a touch screen when you buy your tickets. Like when you fly. Seriously.

We grabbed some popcorn and sodas and headed to our pre-picked seats. The other movie goers were noticeably older and Alana guessed the mean age of the theater was mid thirties. And that’s probably because we screwed that bell curve all to hell.

During the drive to the theater, I had been complaining to Alana about how I just feel old. Not tired. Old.

A lot has occurred in a short period of time and maybe that’s part of it. And having two kids under four. Not that I blame them since I’m sure there are plenty of moms out there who are all like the woman who lived in a shoe and stuff and feel like they’re 18 but I’m just not one of them. These two kids have a habit of wearing me out. And at times, I don’t feel like enough. Get it?

The movie starts and it’s not bad. In fact, pretty good. But, I will warn you, if you’ve never seen any of the episodes and/or the first movie, you’re not going to “get” a lot of it.

Samantha is dealing with the getting old thing- and at one point admits her real age – and obviously, because of Alana and my conversation before the movie, that resonated with me. Well…except for the menopause stuff.

The best part of the entire movie is a conversation between Charlotte and Miranda about some not so often confessed to downsides of motherhood. Alana and I both admitted to having a couple of tears in our eyes. If you don’t have kids, you probably won’t have the same reaction. [Unless you’re freakishly empathic.] This conversation also included one of the funniest lines/jokes in the entire movie.

And since Samantha has parted ways with Smith Jared – Was that spoiler? If so, I’m sorry. – there is OF COURSE a new guy in her life…eventually.

Dude took my breath away and Alana ended up with an elbow in the ribs. Sorry about that, Alana.

Both of us were wondering who the hell the guy was. You will too when you see that part in the movie. Really. You will.

And then there is the team of guys from Australia. Not sure exactly what sport they played. That wasn’t exactly the important point in the whole deal if you know what I’m saying.

The movie was good and it was nice to get out of the house and away from everything for a couple of hours.

Then we came home and it was like I had never left and reality hit me upside the head like a sippy cup full of milk you discover about a month too late.

So I wonder, is all the fun gone from a woman’s life when she has kids? Is it possible to maintain a sense of self when you are responsible for the lives and minds of two very opinionated small humans?

The conversation between Charlotte and Miranda was my favorite part too and REALLY resonated with me. Samantha’s new guy was pretty hot and I believe the Australian guys were a soccer team. I liked the movie too, was surprised at the awful reviews I’d read beforehand. It wasn’t Citizen Kane or anything, but fans of the show and the first movie should certainly like it.

I don’t think moms have to lose themselves when they become moms, but I do think in our kids’ early years we have to adjust our expectations a bit. When my oldest was a toddler, not only was I surprised at how little time I had to myself, but also by how TIRED I was when I finally did get time to myself! A “girls night out” had to end around 10:00 for me because after one drink I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more. Our posse of moms try to get together earlier now to maximize our time together. Also, we like to try to make playdates a “moms day out”…good food to munch on, lots of activities to keep the kids busy so we can chat and some of our kids are getting old enough that they can monitor the younger ones while the moms socialize. It’s not always easy, but we make it work. Someday we’ll have all the time in the world to spend together again and we’ll miss having our babies around…such is the circle of life!